Advanced law enforcement and response technology

ABSTRACT

A central control system is described that affords intuitive and easy control of numerous subsystems associated with a police car or other emergency vehicle and reduces the cockpit clutter associated with present control systems. A single user interface device is associated with a central controller capable of receiving input commands and outputting device control commands to a plurality of controlled devices or subsystems. Preferably, the central controller comprises a programmable digital computer. An emergency response system is also described which rapidly coordinates and controls operation of a plurality of emergency subsystems associated with the vehicle in accordance with a predetermined scheme of operation for the devices. In one preferred embodiment, the controller receives a single input command and, in response, provides specific device control commands to several individual controlled devices on a relatively simultaneous basis. A hierarchical device command structure is also taught which permits individual control of features among each of the controlled subsystems.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of Ser. No. 08/912,767, now U.S. Pat.No. 6,188,939, filed on Aug. 18, 1997.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

The U.S. government has a paid-up license in this invention and theright in limited circumstances to requires the patent owner to licenseothers on reasonable terms, as provided for by the terms of Work OrderNo. DTFH71-94-TE037-TX-29 awarded by the U.S. Department ofTransportation, Federal Highway Administration.

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightswhatsoever.

REFERENCE TO MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Computer program code for devices and methods described herein arecontained in a microfiche appendix which consists of 8 microfiche havinga total number of 728 microfiche frames.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates generally to improved devices and methodsfor controlling vehicle peripheral devices and subsystems, such assirens, light bars, radar systems and so forth. Further, the inventionrelates to an emergency response system for rapidly coordinating andcontrolling the operation of numerous emergency vehicle peripheralsubsystems. In other aspects, the invention relates to devices andmethods for transmitting and relaying data, such as information andmessages, remotely to, through and from an emergency vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art

Police cars and other emergency vehicles such as ambulances and firetrucks, carry a number of necessary peripheral subsystems which must beactivated and controlled by the vehicle operator. These systems includesirens, light bars (flashers), radios and spotlights. Over the years,the number and complexity of these peripheral devices and subsystems hasgrown significantly. Conventional police cars are now also equipped, forexample, with radar systems for tracking the speeds of roadway vehicles,video cameras, video cassette recorders, global positioning satellite(GPS) systems, and/or global position imaging (GPI) systems. Each ofthese devices has its own associated, individual control device which isusually a panel, box or control head that is mounted to or around thevehicle console so that it can be operated by the driver.

Controlling operation of a large number of peripheral devicesindividually can be difficult, especially in an emergency situationwhere a police officer cannot afford to be distracted. Having a largenumber of control devices which must be operated, requires the officerto direct his attention to, and then operate, numerous buttons andswitches to separately control each individual device. This presents asafety hazard for both officers and bystanders.

In addition to the control problem, “cockpit clutter” has become anissue. The proliferation of control boxes or control heads mounted inthe passenger compartment has caused the console area to becomecluttered. These control devices can block the peripheral vision of apolice officer. Also, deployment of the vehicle's air bag may be blockedin some instances, thus causing the control devices to become hazardsduring a collision.

A related problem addressed by the present invention is that of officersafety when the officer is outside of the police vehicle. During trafficstops, for example, an officer will leave his patrol car to obtain thedriver's license and registration of a driver he has stopped. He mustthen return to his patrol car and, from the car, radio in informationconcerning the driver's license and registration in order to learn ifthe driver is wanted or if the vehicle the driver is driving has beenstolen. The officer may be somewhat vulnerable to attack during thisperiod because he must walk back to his patrol car and enter and exitit. Further, the officer does not have direct access to informationcontained within federal, state or local databases of traffic orcriminal records. Therefore, he must request such information from adispatcher and wait for it to be found and relayed to him. The processis time consuming and carries the risk that errors will be introduced inthe relaying process.

A further problem addressed by the present invention relates to the timerequired to clear accident scenes. Currently, the average time requiredto clear an accident scene is 50 minutes. Accident scenes are usuallylocated on or just off a roadway, thereby causing traffic to be delayeduntil the accident is cleared. A major portion of clearing time is spentwith police officers completing numerous forms which identify thedrivers of the vehicles involved in the accident, describe the relativelocations of the vehicles, provide the driver's descriptions and soforth. Because some of the forms may require the same information, theofficer must enter the same information numerous times. Because theinformation is entered numerous times, the chance of errors, due todisparities in the information entered, is increased.

Clearly, an invention which permits a police officer to rapidlycoordinate and control the operation of his vehicle's emergencysubsystems is needed. Also, an invention which improves safety for bothofficers and bystanders and reduces cockpit clutter is highly desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one aspect, the present invention is directed to a central controlsystem that affords intuitive and easy control of the numeroussubsystems associated with a police car or other emergency vehicle. Theexemplary control system of the present invention also reduces thecockpit clutter associated with present control systems by removing thenumerous individual control devices from the passenger compartment andreplacing them with a single user interface device. The user interfacedevice is associated with a central controller which is capable ofreceiving input commands and outputting device control commands to aplurality of controlled devices or subsystems. Preferably, the centralcontroller comprises a programmable digital computer.

Additionally, the invention provides for an emergency response systemwhich will rapidly coordinate and control the operation of a pluralityof emergency subsystems associated with the vehicle in accordance with apredetermined scheme of operation for the devices. In one preferredembodiment, the controller receives a single input command and, inresponse, provides specific device control commands to severalindividual controlled devices on a relatively simultaneous basis. Theinvention also preferably offers a hierarchical device command structurewhich permits individual control of features among each of thecontrolled subsystems.

In another aspect, the present invention provides for improved dataentry, and recordation with less paperwork for officers to have tocomplete. Data need only be entered one time ensuring its integrity andeliminating errors which tend to occur due to multiple entry of the sameinformation. Because the information will only need to be entered onetime, there is an obvious time savings as well.

In still another aspect, the invention relates to a self-containedportable or hand held computer unit into which information is entered bya police officer when he is, for example, away from the police vehicle.The hand held computer unit is capable of storing the enteredinformation, processing it and transmitting information to and from thecentral controller within the vehicle.

In other aspects, the present invention provides for a remote data entryand communication means which permits police officers or other emergencyworkers to enter data or information into the hand held unit such that acomputerized “form” is completed, data representing the completed formis then transmitted to the controller within the police vehicle andprinted out on a printer within the vehicle. Additionally, the data orinformation can be transmitted from the controller to a remotecommunications base for storage in a central data repository.

In yet another aspect, the invention permits officers to obtaininformation directly from databases of federal, state and local trafficand criminal records without the need for a dispatcher to relay theinformation to the officer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts a physical layout for an exemplary control systemconstructed in accordance with the present invention incorporated withina police car.

FIG. 1A is a front view of an exemplary portable pen-based computerdevice.

FIG. 2 shows a layout of components and connections for the exemplarycontrol system shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 depicts an exemplary main menu screen display for a touch screenuser interface device.

FIG. 4 depicts an exemplary screen display following activation of thePURSUIT command.

FIG. 5 depicts an exemplary touch screen display.

FIG. 6 depicts another exemplary touch screen display.

FIG. 7 depicts a further exemplary touch screen display whichincorporates video displays.

FIG. 8 depicts an exemplary touch screen display for control and viewingof results from the radar subsystem.

FIGS. 9A and 9B illustrate the hierarchical menu structure used by thecontrol system 10.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart illustrating portions of an exemplary controlalgorithm for the control system 10.

FIGS. 11-15 are flow charts depict subparts of the exemplary controlalgorithm shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 16 is a graphical depiction of aspects of communication features ofthe present invention.

FIG. 17 depicts an exemplary screen display for data entry for the HHU44.

FIG. 18 illustrates a scrollable pick list which is used for data entryby the HHU 44.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Referring first to FIG. 1, components of an exemplary control system,indicated generally at 10, are shown incorporated within an exemplarypolice vehicle 12, which is shown in phantom lines. Although the system10 is described in conjunction with a police vehicle, it should beunderstood that the invention has application to other vehicles such asambulances and fire trucks and even private vehicles. Further, theinvention maybe adapted for use with helicopters, water craft and soforth. As is well known, the vehicle 12 includes a passenger compartment14 and separate storage compartment, or trunk, 16. A user interfacedevice 18 is mounted within the passenger compartment 14. In thedepicted embodiment, the user interface device 18 features atouch-sensitive screen console or “touch screen” 19 (shown in FIGS.3-8). A preferred touch screen is an LCDVGA-PC model touch screen deviceavailable from Kinetic Computer Corporation, 270 Third Street,Cambridge, Mass. 02142.

Other mechanisms may also be employed as user interface devices,including keyboards, or push button keypads with associated monitors,without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Atouchscreen is currently preferred as a user interface device because itis not particularly bulky, and it readily permits a user to inputcommands and information while displaying information to the user in aninteractive manner by presenting a graphical control panel of controls,as will be described in further detail shortly. It is preferred that theuser interface device 18 be mounted proximate the center console of thevehicle 12's dashboard and should not obstruct deployment of eitherdriver or passenger side airbags. Because only a single interface orcontrol device is mounted in the passenger compartment 14 of thevehicle, the passenger compartment 14 is not cluttered with numerouscontrol heads, thereby resulting in a “clean cockpit.” A data bus 20operably interconnects the user interface device 18 with a centralvehicle based controller 22 which is mounted within the trunk 16 of thevehicle.

A number of devices or subsystems, which will be referred to asperipheral subsystems, are interrelated with the police vehicle 12 foruse by police officers in performing their duties. Referring again toFIG. 1, the exemplary police vehicle 12 is equipped with a sirensubsystem, shown generally at 24; a light bar subsystem, shown generallyat 26; a traffic radar subsystem, shown generally at 28; a GPSsubsystem, shown generally at 29 in FIG. 2, and a video camerasubsystem, shown generally at 30.

As is well known, each of the subsystems basically consists of anactivated component and a control head (not shown) which is used tocontrol the activated component. The present invention permits themanufacturer's control heads to be removed from these subsystems so thateach of the subsystems is capable of being controlled only by thecontroller 22. It is presently preferred, however, that the individualcontrol heads for the subsystems may be located within the trunk 16 ofthe vehicle 12 and wired in parallel to the controller 22. The advantageto this type of arrangement is that, in the event of a malfunction inthe controller 22 or the user interface device 18, the control heads canbe relocated into the passenger compartment so that the subsystems canstill be operated. Further, certain jurisdictions may require, forexample, that an officer's traffic radar readings be taken from a radarsystem control head which has been properly certified in order forcitations to be issued based upon a traffic radar system. Therefore, theability to reference the original system control head may be necessary.

The siren subsystem 24 includes a siren speaker 31 and a conventionalcontrol head (not shown). The siren subsystem 24 is capable of beingselectively operated in a plurality of modes. Each mode provides forproduction of a particular siren sound from the siren speaker 31: Forexample, a siren subsystem 24 might be operable in modes including“YELP,” “AIR HORN,” “WAIL” and so forth, each of which corresponding toa well-known sound associated with an emergency vehicle siren.Particular siren modes are typically prescribed by individual policedepartment policy for use in particular situations.

The light bar subsystem 26 includes an elongated light bar which istypically mounted perpendicular to the length of the vehicle 12 andincludes rows of white, red, blue and/or amber lights which are capableof being flashed and rotated in accordance with pre-programmed patterns.Particular programmed patterns are typically prescribed by individualdepartment policy for use in particular situations. Further generaldescriptions concerning operation of light bar and siren systems arefound in U.S. Pat. No. 5,140,304 entitled “Siren Sound SynchronizedLight Bar System,” issued to Miller and U.S. Pat. No. 4,980,837 entitled“Circuit and Method for Automatically Sweeping Through a Plurality ofSiren Modes” issued to Nunn et al. Currently, many siren subsystems andlight bar subsystems are marketed as a single unit. An example of anapparatus suitable for use as the siren subsystem 24 and the light barsubsystem 26 is the Premium Vision© Warning System marketed bySignalvations Corporation of 18506 South 81S′ Avenue, Tinley Park, Ill.60477. Standard RS-232 cables, shown schematically as 25 in FIG. 2, areused to interconnect the light bar subsystem 26 and other subsystemswith the central controller 22. A voltage shifter 27 (visible in FIG. 2)is used to step the voltage between the components from the +12/−12 Vvoltage used by the controller 22 to the 0-5 V voltage used by the lightbar system 26.

The traffic radar subsystem 28 is of the type currently made andmarketed by Kustom Signals, Inc. of 9325 Pflumm Road, Lenexa, Kans.66215-3347. As in well known, radar subsystems of this type are capableof detecting and recording the speeds of vehicles travelling on aroadway. The radar subsystem 28 is capable of being operated in aplurality of different modes. For example, radar subsystem 28 could beselectively switched between tracking of vehicle speeds for vehicleswhich are located generally in front of the police vehicle 12 or,alternatively, tracking the speeds of those located to the rear of thepolice vehicle 12.

The video camera subsystem 30 includes a frame grabber assembly which iscapable of selecting, displaying and transmitting a still image from oneof several cameras. A frame grabber assembly suitable for thisapplication is marketed by hmageNation™, P.O. Box 276, Beaverton, Oreg.97075-0276. In the preferred embodiments described here, the videocamera subsystem 30 includes four cameras 32, 34, 36 and 38. As isapparent from FIG. 1, one camera 32 is pointed so as to be able tocapture the field of view immediately in front of the police vehicle 12.Two of the cameras 34, 36 are aimed so that they can cover the fields ofview to the right front and left front of the vehicle 12, respectively.The fourth camera 38 is aimed rearwardly so that video of the areabehind the vehicle 12 may be captured. Alternatively, this fourth camera38 may be mounted so that it will capture the back seat area of thevehicle 12. The four cameras 32, 34, 36 and 38 are operationallyinterconnected through a multiplexer (75 in FIG. 2) which makes up partof the frame grabber assembly and permits one of the four cameras 32,34, 36 or 38 to be selected for individual control as a “primarycamera.” A VCR (video cassette recorder) 40, which is also a part of thevideo camera subsystem 30, is located in the trunk 16 and operablyconnected so as to record images photographed by one or more of thecameras 32, 34, 36, 38. In practice, one of the cameras, 32, 34, 36 or38 becomes the “primary camera” while the other three cameras are“secondary cameras.” As will be described in greater detail shortly, thecamera which is the primary camera can be controlled by the operator, tobe panned and scanned, focused, zoomed in or out, and so forth. Thesecondary cameras cannot be so controlled.

A printer 42 is mounted in the passenger compartment 14 of the vehicle12 and is interconnected by a printer cable 43 to the central controller22.

FIG. 1 and 1A depict a pen-based portable computer, or hand held unit(HHU) 44, which is associated with the vehicle 12 in a manner which willbe described. The HHU 44 includes a touch-sensitive screen surface 46which is visible in FIG. 1A. The HHU also contains internal memory orinformation storage media so that information which is entered into theHHU 44 will be stored therein. Data may be entered into the HHU 44 byselecting or “writing” information upon the touch screen surface 46 withan electronic “pen” or “stylus” in a manner known in the art. Currentlyavailable pen-based computers suitable for use in this applicationinclude the model PPT-4600 from Symbol Technologies which has offices at10333 Northwest Freeway, Suite 100, Houston, Tex. 77092.

A wireless LAN adapter 48 (visible in FIG. 1) is affixed and operablyinterconnected with the HHU 44 for transmission of data entered into theHHU 44 to the central controller 22 in the vehicle 12. Currently, asuitable LAN adapter for this application is the Range LAN 2 7200available from Proxim, Inc., 295 N. Bernardo Avenue, Mountain View,Calif. 94043. The Range LAN 2 7200 is a wireless LAN adapter having aPCMCIA type II card interface by which it can be operativelyinterconnected with the HHU 44. This type of LAN adapter is capable oftransmission and receipt of digital information over a relatively smalldistance, perhaps a radius of 500 feet or less, but within a relativelywide signal bandwidth, thereby permitting relatively rapid datatransmission.

In addition to the wireless modem 48, the HHU 44 also preferablyincludes a two dimensional barcode scanner 50 of a type known in theart. The barcode scanner 50 is operable for scanning a barcode andstoring the information that is encoded within the barcode into thememory of the HHU 44. The HHU 44 then displays the encoded informationon the touch sensitive screen surface 46.

If desired, the HHU 44 may also incorporate a magnetic stripe reader 47,such as the Mag-Tek Card Reader from Mag-Tek Corporation, 2075 SouthAnnalee, Carson, Calif. 90756, of the type known for reading informationencoded in magnetic stripes on credit cards and the like andtransmitting the information to a computer. This type of magnetic stripereader is operationally interconnected with the HHU 44 by interfitting acable connection into a keyboard input plug on the HHU 44. The magneticstripe reader 47 is used to input information that is encoded on cards,such as card 49 in FIG. 1, into the internal memory of storage of theHHU 44.

A digital camera 52 is shown in FIG. 1 associated with the vehicle 12.One suitable digital camera for this application is the Kodak series 120digital camera. The digital camera 52 is capable of capturing imagesdigitally and storing them on a digital storage media within the camera52. There is also associated with the digital camera 52 a means fortransmitting the captured images from the camera 52 to an externaldestination, such as the memory of the central controller 22. In oneembodiment, the digital camera 52 is supplied with a wireless LANnetwork interface (not shown) similar to that described previously. Suchwireless interfaces may be supplied by the manufacturer of the camera52. When the wireless LAN interface is included, the digital images thatare captured by the digital camera 52 can be transmitted to a LANadapter or other receiver by the wireless LAN interface. Thistransmission occurs in a relatively continuous fashion since the LANadapters 48 and 80 utilize a TCP/IP stack buffer which ensuressequential storage and retrieval of the data making up the digitalimages. If a wireless transmission means is unavailable or not desired,digital images captured by the camera 52 can also be transferred fromthe camera to another storage means via a cable connection such as anRS-232 serial connection (not shown) using well known techniques for thetransfer of digital information through such a connection.Alternatively, the digital images may be stored on an intermediate mediawhich is then physically transported from the camera 52 to anotherstorage means. For example, a PCMCIA compatible flash disk can beinserted into the camera 52 for storage of the images thereupon. Theflash disk containing the stored images is then be removed from thecamera 52 and placed into a slot in a PCMCIA drive disposed in one of aslot 62 within the controller 22. Although this drive is not shown inFIG. 2, the use and operation of them is well known.

Digital images which have been transmitted from the camera 52 to memoryor storage within the controller 22 can then be accessed from storage,or from the PCMCIA drive described in the latter embodiment, by thecontroller for display on the touch screen 19 of the user interfacedevice 18.

Referring now to FIG. 2, physical connections are depicted showing theinterconnection of certain components of the exemplary control system10. As shown, the central controller 22 is made up of an outer housing60 of the type used to house motherboards and related computer hardwareboards and contains a number of parallel card slots 62. One of the slots62 contains a motherboard 64 which contains a microprocessor. Apresently available motherboard suitable for this application is aZiatech ZT-8902 module which contains a 100 Mhz 486-class microprocessorwith 16 MB of RAM. The ZT-8902 module is available from ZiatechCorporation, 1050 Southwood Drive, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93401-5813.The motherboard 64 should also have associated data storage from whichdata may be selectively stored and retrieved. Power is supplied to thecontroller 22 by the vehicle battery 65.

The housing 60 also contains an intelligent serial controller (ISC)board 66, such as the ZT-8932 intelligent multi-channel serialcontroller, also available from Zlatech Corporation, 1050 SouthwoodDrive, San Luis Obispo, Calif. 93401-5813. A read/write interface (notshown) is provided between the motherboard 64 and the ISC board 66. TheISC board 66 provides a plurality of sequential serial controlconnections, shown schematically at 68 in FIG. 2, which interconnect thecontroller 22 with a number of the subsystems for the vehicle 12. TheZiatech ZT-8932 controller, for example, provides eight independent RS232 compatible serial ports to which devices or subsystems can beoperatively interconnected.

Included within yet another slot 62 in the housing 60 is a video card 70which is interconnected with the touch-screen interface device 18 bycontrol cable 72 so that video functions of the touch-screen 18 arecontrolled by the central controller 22.

A frame grabber control card 74 is disposed within another slot 62 inthe controller housing 60. The frame grabber control card 74 is used tocontrol the frame grabber assembly portion of the video camera subsystem30 in a manner which will be described in greater detail shortly. Acable 76 operably connects the card 74 to a video multiplexer 75. Themultiplexer 75 is also interconnected by cables to the VCR 40 andcameras 32, 34, 36 and 38. Examples of VCRs that are cable ready so thatthey maybe connected in this manner are Panasonic models AG-6124P andAG-1070DCP.

In yet another slot 62 in the central controller housing 60, a PCMCIAinterface card 78 is disposed, which permits the controller 22 tointerface with and operate a device whose typical control is providedvia PCMCIA. A suitable example of such a card is a Ziatech Model 8921module that provides 5-20 MB of flash disk storage capacity. A Range LAN2 7200 wireless LAIN adapter 80 is operably interconnected with theinterface card 78 through a PCMCIA card 82 for operation of the LANadapter 80 by the central controller 22. The LAN adapter 80 ispreferably the same as the LAN adapter 48 associated with the HHU 44,described earlier. The 14 LAN adapter 80 is capable of transmittingdigital information to and receiving digital information from the LANadapter 48.

A modem 84 is operatively interconnected with the ISC 66 of controller22 so that the controller 22 can control the functions of the modem 84.The modem 84 is capable of transmitting and receiving digitalinformation over wireless channels at a much greater range than a LANadapter, such as adapters 48 and 80 described earlier, albeit currentlyat a slower rate of transmission. In one current preferred embodiment,the modem 84 comprises a circuit switched cellular modem such as astandard modem equipped with an appropriate adapter for a cellulartelephone. One example is a 28.8K bps modem equipped with a model S1936Cor S 1688E Cellular Connection. In a second preferred embodiment, themodem 84 comprises a CDPD modem which uses cellular digital packagingdata (CDPD) as a carrier for information transmission. CDPD-type modemssuitable for this application are currently marketed by Sierra Wireless,Inc., # 260, 13151 Vanier Place, Richmond, British Columbia, Canada V6V2J2.

It is further pointed out that the control system 10 of the presentinvention is modular in design so that additional peripheral componentsmaybe added or substituted as subsystems and then be controlledcentrally. In most cases, component compatibility can be assured byusing instruction sets provided with a component or available from itsmanufacturer.

In operation, the invention affords numerous advantages, many of whichcan be appreciated from the following discussion.

Control of Peripheral Devices/Subsystems

The touch screen type user interface device 18 serves a dual purpose.First, it displays information to the operator. Second, it permits theoperator to enter input commands to the controller 22 so that thecontroller 22 can operate the various subsystems associated with thevehicle 12 through the selective provision of device control commands.

The user interface provided by the device 18 permits hierarchical menustructure interface for selection of one from among several individualcontrolled subsystems, and for providing device control commands to theselected subsystem. The user interface also features shortcut commandswhich are capable of providing device commands to a plurality ofcontrolled subsystems relatively simultaneously.

FIGS. 3-8 depict exemplary screen displays for the touch screen 19 ofthe user interface device 18. As will be described, a user mayessentially move through a hierarchical menu structure which is providedby the screens by making selections presented on the screens.

A main menu screen 102 is depicted in FIG. 3, as displayed by the touchscreen 19. As FIG. 3 shows, the main screen 102 displays a large blankarea 104 which may be touched without selection of any option. The mainscreen 102 also displays a selection of “buttons” that are actuallytouch-sensitive areas of the screen 19 which are touched to select aparticular available option. The buttons include a “PURSUIT” button 106,a “CONTROL” button 108 and a “RADAR” button 110. As can be seen by areview of FIGS. 3-8, these three buttons remain displayed on the screen19 regardless of the particular screen display. Any of these threebuttons may be selected at any time.

A “PURSUIT” mode is entered when the “PURSUIT” button 106 is selected.Selection of the “PURSUIT” button 106 provides detailed device commandsto a plurality of subsystems relatively simultaneously and without theneed to individually control each one of the subsystems. Selectedcontrolled subsystems are actuated and caused to operate in apreprogrammed manner so that a coordinated response is provided by thasubsystems. The response of the system is coordinated to operateselected subsystems as deemed necessary to respond in a particularemergency situation. In this instance, the subsystems are operated asdeemed effective or necessary to respond in a situation where thevehicle 12 must pursue another vehicle and apprehend the driver of thatvehicle. First, the operation of each of the subsystems is coordinatedby the controller 22 so that appropriate selected subsystems (such asthe siren 24, light bar 26, radar 28 and GPS 29 subsystems) are causedto operate. Second, those subsystems which are capable of being operatedin more than one mode are caused to operate in a mode appropriate to thepredetermined operational scheme for vehicle pursuits. For example, thesiren subsystem 24 may be operated so as to produce a “WAIL” sound, “AIRHORN” or other unique sounds, and the light bar subsystem 26 may beoperated in one of several distinct modes as well. The particularpreprogrammed manner in which each of these subsystems will operatewhile the control system 10 is placed in the PURSUIT mode is determinedin accordance with a predetermined scheme for pursuit of vehicles. Inmost instances, the choice of which subsystems are operated, and themodes of operation for each subsystem is made on a jurisdictional basisas a matter of police departmental policy. Therefore, the siren soundused in a PURSUIT mode, for example, is chosen by a department fromamong a plurality of available modes.

When the “PURSUIT” command is selected by touching the “PURSUIT” button106, the display on screen 19 changes to a “PURSUIT” screen 112 which isshown in FIG. 4. The central controller 22 actuates the GPS subsystem 29to record the location of the police vehicle 12 and transmit thatinformation, in a manner which will be described, to a remote location,such as to the police dispatcher. A graphical note 114 is displayed onthe screen 19 to indicate to the operator that the GPS subsystem 29 isperforming this function. The siren subsystem 24 is activated to operatein a preprogrammed mode which has been prescribed by local departmentpolicy for pursuit situations. The light bar subsystem 26 is activatedby the controller 22 to operate in a typical PURSUIT mode in which thepattern of the lights of the overhead light bar moves from the center ofthe light bar to the ends and back to the center in a “handclap” manner.Upon selection of the “PURSUIT” command, the controller 22 alsoactivates the video 5 subsystem 30 so that the forward-looking camera 32becomes the controlled “primary camera.” The VCR 40 is actuated by thecontroller 22 to begin recording of the video captured by the forwardlooking camera 30. A graphical note 116 is also displayed on the screen19 to indicate to the operator that these operations have occurred. Inthe “PURSUIT” mode, then, the control system 10 thus performs as anemergency response system which actuates and controls multiple emergencyresponse subsystems in a preprogrammed manner.

Only minimal user input commands having to be provided to the controller22. Thus, the invention allows a user to rapidly coordinate the responseof a plurality emergency subsystems when required in accordance with acommon scheme.

In the “PURSUIT” screen 112, depicted in FIG. 4, the blank area 104 ofthe main screen 102 is replaced by buttons which provide for furtherdetailed control commands for the light bar subsystem 26 and sirensubsystem 24. Among these control commands are a “DAY PARK” button 118and a “NIGHT PARK” button 120, each of which correspond to powersavingmodes of operation for the light bar subsystem 26. An “AIR HORN” button122.and a “SIREN” button 124 are also provided for selection of modes ofoperation for the siren subsystem 24.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a light and siren control screen display 126 isdepicted which provides control commands for individually modifying thelight bar and siren subsystems 26, 24 or the video subsystem 30. Thecontrol screen display 126 will appear on tha touch screen 19 if the“CONTROL” button 108 is selected on the main screen 102. The screendisplay 126 will also appear if the “CONTROL” button 108 is selectedfrom any other screen display, such as the “PURSUIT” screen 112, sincethe “CONTROL” button 108 is always an available command regardless ofthe particular screen display presented on the touch screen 19. Thecontrol screen display 126 includes buttons 128, 130 which are labeled“LIGHTS/SIREN” and “VIDEO,” respectively.

If the “LIGHTS/SIREN” button 128 is selected, a light and siren screendisplay 132 (illustrated in FIG. 6) is presented on the touch sensitivescreen 19. The light and siren screen display 132 provides a pluralityof individual control commands for the siren subsystem 24 and for thelight bar subsystem 26. The available commands for the light barsubsystem 26 include “TAKE DOWN” 134, “LEFT ALLEY” 136, “RIGHT ALLEY”138, “MODE 1” 140, “MODE 2” 142, “MODE 3” 144, “ROTATE” 146, “FLASH” 148and “SIGNAL MASTER” 150, all of which correspond to known programmedlight patterns. By selection of a particular available command, theoperator may select the appropriate programmed light pattern. Thecontrol commands for the light bar system 26 are typical of ahierarchical command structure. Similar hierarchical commands areavailable for the siren subsystem 24 on screen display 132 so that theoperation of the siren subsystem 24 in one of several differentavailable modes maybe selected. These commands include button 152(“HI/LOW”) which can be touched consecutively to toggle the sirensubassembly 24 alternately between providing a high volume siren soundand a low volume siren sound. Other command buttons include “YELP” 154,“AIR HORN” 156, “MANUAL” 158, “WAIL” 160 and “PRIORITY” 162 which areprimarily useful for changing the type of siren sound which is produced.If desired, the screen display 132 may also include screen paging arrows164, 166 so that additional options for control of the siren subsystem24 and light bar subsystem 26 may be displayed.

Referring now to FIG. 7, a video subsystem control display screen 170 isdepicted. This display screen 170 permits a user to both view videobeing obtained by the video subsystem 30 and to control aspects of thevideo subsystem 30. The video subsystem control display screen 170 isdisplayed when the “VIDEO” button 130 is touched in either screen 126 or132. The video subsystem control display screen 170 includes a centralarea 172 which is operable to display video provided by the selected“primary camera” in the video subsystem 30. As depicted in FIG. 7, thecentral area 172 is divided into four separate video display sections174, 176, 178 and 180. Each of these display sections displays the videocaptured by one of the four cameras 32, 34, 36 and 38 in the videosubsystem 30.

Video control buttons are located adjacent the central area 172 so thatthe operator can control the video displayed in the central area 172.Among these video control buttons is included a “CYCLE” button 182,which is used to sequence through each of the four video displaysections 174, 176, 178, 180 such that the camera providing the imagesfor each of the four video display sections is sequentially chosen asthe “primary camera.” A “SELECT” button 184 is included which, whenselected, causes a selected video display section to be displayed in“full screen” to the exclusion of the remaining three video displaysections. There is also a “GRAB” button 186 which, when selected, causesthe frame grabber assembly to still the image from the primary camerascreen display. Also included is a “ZOOM IN” button 188, “ZOOM OUT”button 190. Pressing these buttons will cause the image from the primarycamera to “zoom in” or “zoom out,” respectively. A “SEND” button 192 isincluded as well which selects a freeze frame image from the imageprovided by the primary camera and transmits that image digitally viathe modem 84 to a predetermined remote location. Also, a “RECORD” button194 is included. When this button is touched, it cause the VCR 40 tobegin recording. The “EXIT” button, 196, allows the operator to leavethe video subsystem control display screen 170 and be returned to themain menu screen 102.

Hierarchical commands are also provided for control of the radarsubsystem 28. Referring to FIG. 8, a radar control screen 200 isdepicted which includes an upper display area 202 and a lower commandarea 204. The upper display area 202 includes a target speed displaywindow 206, patrol car speed display window 208, and a locked speedwindow 210.

The lower command area 204 contains individual controls, which, in anexemplary embodiment include a “MOVING/STATIONARY” toggle button 212which, when touched repeatedly will toggle alternately between atracking condition wherein the tracking police vehicle 12 is in motionand one wherein the police vehicle 12 is stationary. Below button 212 isa “SAME/OPPOSITE” toggle button 214 which, when touched repeatedly willtoggle alternately between a radar tracking condition wherein thetracking police vehicle 12 is moving in the same direction as thetracked vehicle and one in which the police vehicle 12 is moving in theopposite direction from the tracked vehicle. The lower command area 204also includes a “FRONT/REAR” toggle button 216 which can be operated ina similar manner to toggle between radar tracking conditions in whichthe tracked vehicle is located to the front of or to the rear of thepolice vehicle 12. Also included is a “NORMAL” button 218, a “PATROLBLANK” button 220, a “TEST RADAR” button 222, a “RELEASED/LOCKED” togglebutton 224 and a “TRANSMIT” button 226.

It is noted that the organization of screens shown and that of theparticular information depicted on screens is exemplary only and may bemodified or changed as desired. Indeed, it is envisioned that suchorganization would be prescribed by individual local or state departmentpolicy. Also, individual screens maybe altered to include controls foradditional devices or subsystems such as the police vehicle radio.

The control of individual subsystems using hierarchical menu commands isillustrated with reference to FIGS. 9A and 9B. There, an exemplary menustructure 250 is depicted which exemplifies the hierarchical commandstructure employed by the control system 10. Once the control system 10has been initialized, in a manner will be described in further detailshortly, the main screen 102 is displayed. The step of displaying themain screen 102 is represented by block 252 in FIG. 9A. The user isprovided with three initial choices for a consecutive step, these beingrepresented by the “PURSUIT” 254, “CONTROL” 256 AND “RADAR” 258 blocks.Further alternative steps may be made after one of these choices ismade, thus creating a well known decision tree by which a user may reacha desired condition by choosing among numerous consecutive steps. Forexample, if it is desired to operate the siren subsystem 24 to produce a“WAIL” type sound, a user would initialize the system so as to cause themain screen 102 to be displayed (box 250 in FIG. 9A). From there, theuser would press the CONTROL button from the main screen 102 to causethe control screen 126 of FIG. 5 to be displayed. This condition isillustrated as box 256 in FIG. 14. Next, the user would press theLIGHTS/SIREN button 128 to access the light and siren screen display132. This condition is depicted as block 260 in FIG. 9A. From screen132, the user may select the WAIL button 160 which will cause the sirensubsystem 24 to produce the appropriate “WAIL”-type siren sound.

Data Entry Communications and Relaying of Communications

Information such as a driver's license number, driver's name, make andmodel of car, weather conditions and so forth can be recorded within theHHU 44 by entering it on the touch sensitive screen 46 of the HHU 44. Anexemplary screen display for data entry is illustrated in FIG. 17.There, a “form” is displayed which contains a number of fields intowhich information, such as driver's information is entered. Thesefields, which include a driver's last name 262, first name 264, currentaddress 266 and weight 268 are made up of a number of characterpositions 270 which may be filled with alphanumeric characters tocomplete them. The characters are entered in the positions 270 using thepen, or stylus, (not shown) which accompanies the HHU 44.

In addition to these data fields, the screen display presentstouch-sensitive “buttons” which can be selected using the pen or stylus.Among the buttons are a “PRINT” button 270, which causes inputtedinformation to be transmitted from the HHU 44 via the LAN adapter 48 tothe LAN adapter 80 and, thereafter, printed out by the printer 42 in amanner which will be 15 described in greater detail shortly. Alsoincluded among the buttons is a “READ MAGNETIC CARD” button 272.

As can be seen with reference to FIG. 18, data entry into the HHU 44 ispartially automated through the use of scrollable pick lists for certaindata entries so that the officer may choose from among a plurality ofcommonly entered choices. These lists also provide a time 20 savingmeans for recording commonly entered information. FIG. 18 illustrates ascrollable pick list 274 of alternative values for weights 275 fromwhich an officer can select an appropriate choice with the pen orstylus. The list 274 is a “pop-up” type list which is activated when thepen or stylus touches the field name 276. A scroll bar 278 may be usedto move among available selections. “OK” and “CANCEL” buttons 280, 282are provided so that the officer can confirm his selection of a weightvalue or erase it.

It is noted that the software for the HHU 44 incorporates error checkingfunctions which ensure that required fields are not left blank. Thisreduces the possibility of errors introduced during the recording ofinformation. Further understanding of data entry features provided bythe HHU 44 may be gained by examination of the computer code found inthe microfiche appendix referenced at the beginning of thisspecification.

In addition, information contained in a barcode printed on, for example,an individual's driver's license or as a part of a VehicleIdentification Number, can be entered into the HHU 44 by swiping thebarcode scanner 50 past the barcode.

Also, the magnetic stripe reader 47 may be used to record within the HHU44 information which is encoded within a magnetic stripe disposed on acard, such as a drivers' license. To activate the magnetic stripe reader47 for recording such information, the officer would actuate the “READMAGNETIC CARD” button 272. The card, such as card 49 in FIG. 1, can thenbe “swiped” through the reader 47, as illustrated in FIG. 1 so that theinformation is read from the stripe on card 49 by the reader 47.

Once entered into the HHU 44, information is stored within the memory ofthe HHU. In addition to being stored within the HHU 44, the enteredinformation is transferred via the wireless LAN 48 back to the wirelessLAN 80 within the vehicle 12. FIG. 16 illustrates the transmission ofinformation entered into the HHU 44 to the controller 22 where theinformation is retransmitted to a remote communications base 284.

Numerous wireless transmission carriers for information maybe used inaccordance with the present invention. Infrared signals and radiofrequencies are examples. However, it is presently preferred to transmitinformation over short distances, such as between LAN adapter 48 and LANadapter 80 using a spread spectrum communications device, such as theRange LAIN 2, which establishes communication using a TransmissionControl Protocol/internet Protocol (or TCP/IP) interface. It is alsopresently preferred to use cellular digital packaging data (CDPD) as acarrier for such information when it is transmitted over long distances,such as via the modem 84 to a remote communications base 284. CDPDservice is available currently in many large cities fromtelecommunication companies, such as AT&T Telecommunications andcellular telephone service providers, such as GTE Mobilnet based inHouston, Tex.

Recently, studies have focussed on the time spent by police officersresponding to vehicle accident scenes. A large portion of the time spentby officers at accident scenes is spent recording information concerningthe vehicles involved in the accident, accident victims, circumstancesand so forth. The studies have shown that patrol cars whose officers usea penbased computer unit to record such accident data spend 20%-50% lesstime at an accident scene than those whose officers record such datausing pen and paper. Also, information recorded using a pen-basedcomputer is less likely to be lost or misfiled than information recordedon copies of paper.

In still another aspect, the invention has application where there is atypical traffic stop of a vehicle as well. The invention permits anofficer to enter driver and offense information (such as a driver'sname, license number, and the description of a traffic offensecommitted) into the HHU 44 and print out a citation or ticket from theprinter 42. The driver and offense information is transmitted by the LANadapter 48 on the HHU 44 to the LAN adapter 80 in vehicle 12. Theofficer actuates a print command in the HHU 44 (i.e., selecting printbutton 270) to have the printer 42 print the citation.

Additionally, as FIG. 16 illustrates, data can be transmitted, using oneof the methods described earlier, between the digital camera 52 and theLAN adapter 80. As a result, an officer can take a digital photographusing the camera 52. The digital photograph is transformed by the camera52 into digital information which can be transmitted by the camera 52through the LAN 5 adapter 80. The controller 22 receives the digitalinformation so that it can be recalled later.

Further, the controller 22 can relay information between a localtransmitter, such as the HHU 44 or the digital camera 52, and a remotecommunications base 284, such as a police communications base ordispatcher. For example, following a traffic stop, an officer couldapproach the vehicle he has stopped and, upon receiving driver's licenseand insurance information from the driver of the vehicle stopped, enterthat driver information into the HHU 44. The LAN adapter 48 thentransmits the driver information by wireless means to the LAN adapter80. The controller 22 then causes the information received by the LANadapter 80 to be transmitted via a cellular modem 82 to the remotecommunications base 284. At the remote communications base 284, thetransmitted information may be stored within a central informationstorage repository, such as a regional or national database for suchinformation.

During a traffic stop, an officer could also photograph a suspect withthe digital camera 52. The digital image obtained by the camera 52 isthen transmitted to the LAN adapter 80 in the manner previouslydescribed and relayed by the controller 22 to the remote communicationsbase 284. As with other transmitted information, the digital image maybe stored within a central repository for information of this type. Atthe remote communications base 284, the image also can be compared withother photographs, images or identifying information in order toidentify the suspect.

In a related aspect of the invention, vehicle location information isobtained by the GPS subsystem 29 and relayed to the remote communicationbase 284. The GPS subsystem 29 obtains the location of the vehicle 12according to a predetermined periodic schedule. This locationinformation is then transmitted to the controller 22 via serialconnection 68. Also in accordance with a predetermined periodicschedule, the controller transmits the location information to theremote communications base 284 via the modem 84. This feature permitsthe location of the vehicle 12 to be known by those at the remote base284 without the need for making contact with the officer by conventionalpolice radio.

The invention also permits the officer to have direct access to local,state and federal traffic and criminal records, even when the officer isoutside of the police vehicle. Additionally, the officer could accessother relevant remote databases or sources of information, such as localarea traffic information. The officer would enter driver informationsuch as a vehicle license number, as described above, and then causethis information to be transmitted from the HHU 44, via LAN adapters 48and 80, to the controller 22. Along with the information, a query istransmitted which will request that the information be compared to itemscontained within a particular database of information. The databasemight, for example, contain the license numbers for vehicles which havebeen reported as stolen. Upon receipt of the query, the controller 22would compare the transmitted vehicle license number to entries within adatabase stored locally within the data storage memory associated withthe motherboard 64. If no match is made, the controller 22 retransmitsthe query along with the driver's information via the modem 84 to theremote communications base 284 which contains databases which are moreextensive than those maintained within the controller 22 on board thevehicle 12. The databases at the remote communications base 284preferably correspond to a database of statewide, national or perhapsinternational scope. The remote communications base 284 uses comparisonsoftware similar to that used within by the controller 22 to receive thetransmitted driver information and compare it to entries stored withinthese databases. A database query is made based upon one or more piecesof information, such as a driver's license number or license platenumber. Based upon the query, the database is searched for a match.

General Operation of Controller 22

Those skilled in the art will recognize that there are numerous ways inwhich the motherboard 64 of the controller 22 could be programmed in acustomized manner by a user to control peripheral subsystems anddevices. In addition, detailed control logic descriptions, flow charts,and even source code are available from the manufacturers and retailersof various peripheral components which might be used, with properpermission or license, to program the motherboard 64. Nonetheless,aspects of operation and decision making for the controller 22 are nowdescribed with reference to FIGS. 10-15. FIG. 10 depicts the scheme foran exemplary control algorithm which could be used with the controlsystem 10. FIGS. 11-15 each depict constituent portions of the controlalgorithm shown in FIG. 10.

When the control system 10 is started up, the controller 22 willinitialize the system hardware and the control data. This operation isdepicted in block 300 of FIG. 10. Following the initialization step 300,the controller 22 enters a control polling loop 301 and continues tofollow the polling loop 301 until given a command to cease polling andshut down. The steps performed during the polling loop 301 are those ofprocessing communications (step 308), processing periodic tasks (step309), processing system devices (step 31 1), processing printing tasks(step 313) and displaying information (step 315).

Following the step of displaying information, the controller 22determines whether it will continue the polling loop 301 or not. This isdone by including a flag within the software which causes the controller22 to make a choice between continuing or not. This decision isillustrated by box 317 in FIG. 10. The software flag should beinitialized to default for continuing the polling loop 301 unless thereis an event which causes it to do otherwise, such as a shut downcommand. If a shut down command is given, the controller 22 will causethe control system 10 to turn off the TCP/IP stack buffer and performother functions associated with the shut down of a control system.

Substeps performed during the initialization step 300 are depicted inFIG. 11. In the first substep 302, the controller 22 initializes thehardware for the control system 10 to configure the port speeds for eachdevice or subsystem which is interconnected with the ISC 66. The sirenand light bar subsystems 24, 26 are reset so that all the lights andsirens are turned off or set to off. The GPS subsystem 29 requests thatinformation obtained be provided in accordance with the format of theGPS manufacturer's particular protocol.

Also during substep 302, the primary camera is commanded by thecontroller 22 to display within the image it captures an identificationnumber for the police vehicle 12. The VCR 40 begins to record imagesprovided by the video camera which has been selected as the primarycamera among the four video cameras 32, 34, 36 and 38. The radarsubsystem 28 is initialized at its default settings which areestablished by local departmental procedure. Typically, this is arecording mode in which the VCR 40 will record video captured by theprimary camera. The video camera subsystem 30 is initialized so thatcamera images will be provided by one of the cameras 32, 34, 36 and 38in each of the video display sections 174, 176, 178 and 180 of the videosubsystem control display screen 170 when that screen is accessed by auser.

In substep 304, the controller 22 reads in the configuration informationfrom a controller data file into the RAM of the microprocessor of thecontroller 22. This configuration information data file is preferablystored in the same directory as the rest of the programming for thecontroller 22. In substep 306, the controller 22 sets the initialdisplay (or main screen 102) for the user interface device 18.

Following the initialization step 300, the controller 22 performs acommunications process step 308 in which it processes any communicationsof information which are to be transferred into or out of the controller22.

Referring to FIG. 12, a flow diagram is provided illustrating exemplarycontrol logic used to perform the communications process step 308.First, in substep 310, the controller 22 determines whether the modem 84is enabled for wireless transmission of information to a destinationsuch as the remote communications base 284. In substep 312, thecontroller 22 then checks to see whether any communications informationhas been received by the modem 84 and is available to be processed. Ifthere is such information, the controller 22 performs substep 314, inwhich the received information is read into the RAM memory of themotherboard 64.

The received information is then processed by the software routines.Essentially, two types of information are transferred: commands andstatus data. If the information received is a command, the controller 22executes that command. If the information is status data, the controller22 processes that data, for example, by storing an incoming .jpg to afile.

In substep 316, the controller 22 inquires whether any communicationsinformation is waiting to be sent by the modem 84. If so, the controller22 causes the modem 84 to send the communications information throughthe modem 84 during substep 318. The controller 22 then updates itsstate, i.e., the condition of either sending information during thetransmission or receiving a response from the receiver.

In substep 320, the controller 22 determines whether the TCP/IPinterface is enabled for transmission of information to and from thewireless LAN adapter 80. Substeps 322, 324, 326 and 328 correspond tothe substeps 312, 314, 316 and 318 described earlier with respect to themodem 84.

In the next step of general operation, step 309, the controller 22processes tasks which are referred to as “periodic tasks” because theyare not required to be performed every time the controller 22 performsits polling loop. Rather, these periodic tasks are performed inaccordance with a predetermined time-based schedule. An example of aperiodic task is that of obtaining location information for the vehicle12 via the GPS subsystem 29 and relaying that information to the remotecommunications base 284. Typically, information regarding the locationof the vehicle 12 is sought and updated twice per second. A location isrelayed to the remote communications base 284 every 8 seconds. FIG. 13depicts the substeps used by the controller to carry out the process ofstep 309. First, the controller 22 polls the GPS subsystem 29 todetermine whether it is time for an update of GPS data to be obtained(substep 330). If it is time for such an update, the controller 22commands the GPS subsystem 29 to request an update of the positioninformation (substep 332). In substep 334, the controller 22 determineswhether the “Auto Base/GPS notification” is enabled. The “Auto Base/GPSnotification function causes automatic periodic notifications of theposition of the vehicle 12 (as determined by the GPS subsystem 29) to beprovided to the remote communications base 284 via the modem 84. Insubstep 336, the controller 22 determines whether it is time to notifythe remote communications base 284 of the updated position information.The controller 22 will queue the position information to the modem 84 insubstep 338.

In the next step of general operation, step 311, the controller 22 pollsall controlled subsystems. The substeps associated with this step aredepicted in FIG. 14. First, the controller 22 determines whether data isavailable from the touch screen 19. This is depicted as substep 340 inFIG. 14. Touches upon the touch screen 19, having been previouslybuffered by a driver, are recalled by the controller 22 and used ascontrol input signals. If such inputs are available, the controller 22retrieves and processes this data in substep 342. Next, the controller22 determines whether data is available from the GPS subsystem 29(substep 344). If so, the controller 22 then retrieves the data,processes it and displays it on the touch screen 19 (substep 346).Similar substeps are then performed to obtain, process and display datafor the light bar subsystem 26 (substeps 348, 350) and the radarsubsystem 28 (substeps 352, 354). Similar steps can be performed for anyother controlled subsystems associated with the control system 10. It isnoted that control of subsystems in steps 309 and 311 will occur so thatdevice control commands will be provided to a plurality of selectedcontrolled subsystems during a single polling loop. As a result, thedevice control commands are provided to a plurality of controlledsubsystems relatively simultaneously.

In the next step of general operation, step 313, the controller 22processes-print commands which have been received from the HHU 44 tocause the printer 42 to execute a print job according to a predeterminedform for printing. The particular form for printing may be prescribed bylocal or departmental policy. Ordinarily, however, the form for printingwill correspond to a citation, ticket or warning which is issued inresponse to a traffic violation. The substeps used in carrying out step313 are shown in FIG. 15. Step 313 results in printing of a document,such as a traffic citation, after a print command and an item ofinformation (such as a database file) are received by the controller 22from the HHU 44. In substep 356, the controller 22 determines whether aprint job is recorded in the print queue. Currently, a print job isprinted only after other system tasks, such as transmissions ofinformation using the modem 84 or the LAN adapter 80, have beencompleted. Therefore, the controller 22 determines, at substep 358,whether each such task has been completed. If so, the print job isexecuted at substep 360.

In the step 315 of general operation, the controller 22 causes the touchscreen 19 to display current information. Further detail concerning thecontroller operations described here is available by reference to themicrofiche appendix which is referenced at the beginning of thisspecification.

By performing the polling loop 301 as described, the controller 22continuously operates to process incoming and outgoing communicationsand asserts control and monitoring of all the peripheral subsystems.

It is noted that control and communications processing could also beachieved using an event driven method. In that case, individual actions(a communications transaction or a control action) is performed viainterrupts caused by individual devices in the system. Individual eventswould L include input commands entered into the user interface device 18or receipt of information into the TCP/IP stack. Those of skill in theart will recognize that alternative programming techniques of thisnature are well understood and may be accomplished with minimal effortonce the general control and communication parameters of the inventionare understood.

Stored information may be downloaded from an HHU 44 into a workstationlocated at a police station or otherwise. Downloading or transferring ofthe information can be performed using the LAN adapter 48 in a mannersimilar to that described earlier, provided that the workstation isequipped with an adapter, or other device which is capable of receivingthe information transmitted and transferring it into databases asdesired. Preferably, transmission is done using commonly acceptedprotocols such as File Transfer Protocol (FTP).

When the information is downloaded, it is placed into an appropriatemaster database or even multiple databases so that it can be recalled asnecessary. The information can also be viewed on the workstation screen,printed out by an associated printer or sent to a recipient using anelectronic mail program. The workstation must be preprogrammed toreceive such information and store it within the appropriate databases.Exemplary source code for such programming is found in the microficheappendix to this specification.

The present invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments thereof, but is not so limited. For example, the inventioncontemplates that numerous remote communication means other thancellular data packet transmission (CDPD) may be employed forcommunicating data or information between the computer unit 44 and thecentral controller 22. Modifications could be made to the structure andoperation of the controlled subsystems without falling outside the scopeof the claimed invention. Also, the specific control commands providedto the controlled subsystems or the manner in which these commands areorganized can be altered.

Further, other devices or subsystems may be easily substituted for thosespecifically named herein, while still remaining within the scope of theinvention, thereby permitting the invention to be adapted to differenttypes of vehicles or within different applications. For example,controlled subsystems might comprise a cruise control subsystem and acollision avoidance system used by a civilian vehicle. Additionally, thecontroller might be used on board a military vehicle to control radioand other systems. Those of skill in the art will understand that manyother various changes and modifications may be made while remainingwithin the scope and spirit of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A data processing system to be utilized in anemergency-response vehicle, said data processing system comprising: aprocessor; a controller coupled to said processor; a plurality ofcommunication links coupled to said controller, wherein said pluralityof communication links are configured to interface with variousperipheral devices intended for said emergency-response vehicle; and atouch-sensitive display device, coupled to said controller, to allow auser to activate more than one of said peripheral devices that arecoupled to said plurality of communication links by pressing a graphicalicon on a graphical user interface displayed on said touch-sensitivedisplay device.
 2. The data processing system according to claim 1,wherein said touch-sensitive display device allows a user tosimultaneously activate more than one of said peripheral devices thatare coupled to said plurality of communication links via a single touchon a graphical icon displayed on said touch-sensitive display device. 3.The data processing system according to claim 1, wherein said pluralityof peripheral devices includes an overhead light bar and a siren.
 4. Thedata processing system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices further includes a global positioning system unit forlocating position information of said emergency-response vehicle and atransmitter for transmitting said position information.
 5. The dataprocessing system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices includes a video capturing system.
 6. The dataprocessing system according to claim 3, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices includes an audio announcement system.
 7. A methodfor controlling a plurality of peripheral devices installed in anemergency-response vehicle, said method comprising: connecting saidplurality of peripheral devices to a central controller; andsimultaneously activating more than one of said plurality of peripheraldevices via a single touch on a graphical icon displayed on atouch-sensitive screen that is coupled to said central controller. 8.The method according to claim 7, wherein said plurality of peripheraldevices includes an overhead light bar and a siren.
 9. The methodaccording to claim 8, wherein said plurality of peripheral devicesfurther includes a global positioning system unit for locating positioninformation of said emergency-response vehicle and a transmitter fortransmitting said position information.
 10. The method according toclaim 8, wherein said plurality of peripheral devices includes a videocapturing system.
 11. The method according to claim 8, wherein saidplurality of peripheral devices includes an audio announcement system.12. A computer program product for controlling a plurality of peripheraldevices installed in an emergency-response vehicle, wherein saidplurality of peripheral devices are connected to a central controller,said computer program product comprising: program codes means forproviding communications between said plurality of peripheral devicesand a central controller; and program code means for simultaneouslyactivating more than one of said plurality of peripheral devices via asingle touch on a graphical icon displayed on a touch-sensitive screenthat is coupled to said central controller.
 13. The computer programproduct according to claim 12, wherein said plurality of peripheraldevices includes an overhead light bar and a siren.
 14. The computerprogram product according to claim 12, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices further includes a global positioning system unit forlocating position information of said emergency-response vehicle and atransmitter for transmitting said position information.
 15. The computerprogram product according to claim 12, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices includes a video capturing system.
 16. The computerprogram product according to claim 12, wherein said plurality ofperipheral devices includes an audio announcement system.